There may be some hope regarding the release of U.S. Pastor Saeed Abedini, an American civilian confined in a brutal Iranian prison due to his Christian faith.

In a discussion with CNN, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was directly questioned about Pastor Abedini.

Zarif's response offered the first sign of optimism regarding Pastor Abedini 's freedom.

"We have various clemency measures in Iran that can be introduced, happened in the past, can be introduced again in these cases," Zarif said in the CNN interview this week from Davos, Switzerland.

However, Zarif also mentioned the judgment for clemency does not belong to him.

"That is something for the judiciary to decide," said Zarif to CNN.

Foreign Minister Zarif's remarks came after Pastor Abedini's current transfer from the worst-of-the-ward in Rajai Shahr Prison to the political prisoner area.

Pastor Abedini's potential freedom would be a huge humanitarian move for the Iranian government. Clemency would give Iran the chance, within its very own judicial system, to release Pastor Saeed and display to the world that it is really serious about altering its human rights record.

Hopefully, Iran will finally grant Pastor Abedini's clemency. As a result, the Iranian government would free him from prison and agree to return him to his family in America.

To learn more about a petition that urges Iran to offer clemency to Pastor Saeed Abedini, click on this link.